12 Oct 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

19.0°C > 11.0°C: Mostly a medium overcast; brighter with thinner cloud to the North. Calm wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:30 BST

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

A strangely quiet day. It was a day for hunting out fungus.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:30

(209th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- an adult Mute Swan visited briefly. It was soon chased away.
- a Goosander was glimpsed leaving the lake to the West as it passed between trees. Certainly a 'brownhead'. In my brief view it seemed the white area on the wing was across the whole width and the bird therefore either an immature or eclipse drake.
- a Skylark was heard calling overhead at 06:50 when still very dark. This species is a diurnal (daytime) migrant and, despite its reputation of "up with the lark" is not normally an early riser. Most odd.
- several Redwings were heard calling from trees around the lake. None was located and none was seen or heard overhead.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 16 Feral Pigeon: sextet and octet East; two singles West
- 2 Stock Doves: duo
- 181 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 64 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 45 Jackdaws
- 140 Rooks
- 1 Skylark: see notes
- 9 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Siskins

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: initially two joined by a third; all departed together
- *3 + 2 Mute Swans: a visiting adult briefly
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 4 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (1?) Goosander: see notes
- 6 Moorhens
- 126 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- >85 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 1 male ichneumon sp.
- *2 Spotted-winged Drosophila flies (Drosophila suzukii)
- *1 fly Dryomyza anilis
- 1 wood gnat, perhaps Sylvicola fenestralis
- >2 springtails Pogonognathellus longicornis
- >2 springtails Tomocerus minor
- *1 ++Brown (or Common Garden) Centipede (Lithobius forficatus)
- *1 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 unidentified spider
- *1 male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Noted later:

Flies:
- *leaf-mine of the sawfly Profenusa pygmaea
- *leaf mines of the fly from the Phytomyza spondylii/pastinacae agg.

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Fungus:
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus)
- ++*Veiled Poisonpie (Hebeloma mesophaeum)
- ++*Sticky Scalycap (Pholiota gummosa)
- ++*Clustered Brittlestem (Psathyrella multipedata)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Fruits photographed:
- *Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
- *Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea)
- *hips from Dog Rose (Rosa canina agg.)
- *Blackberry [Bramble] (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
- *Bittersweet [or Woody Nightshade] (Solanum dulcamara)
- *Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

This may look like attractive green reflections in the still lake. In fact it is mostly an algal bloom brought on by the unseasonably warm weather.

Just too late to catch the Mute Swan family having a short flight. The cygnets still tucking their wings in.

Very soon afterwards this sub-adult appeared. The bill is too dull for a full adult even though it shows no brown in the plumage.

Settling on the water and looking carefully around, as well it might...

 ...with the whole resident family on the war-path. It soon departed.

Two rather similar flies I see most mornings on the street lamp poles pre-dawn. This is a male Spotted-winged Drosophila flies (Drosophila suzukii). Females lack the black tips to the wings.

A larger but still small mostly red fly is Dryomyza anilis.

The larvae of very many insects (beetles, flies, moths etc.) 'mine' leaves, eating the tissue of the outer layers. Some species can be identified by the plant eaten and the shape of the mine made as the larva feeds. This oak leaf has been eaten by the larva of the sawfly Profenusa pygmaea. Often the adult form of the insect involved is rarely seen.

These leaf mines are from one of two flies. The mines, always on the leaves of Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) are identical in structure and identification is only possible if the larvae responsible are hatched at adulthood. The flies involved are Phytomyza spondylii and P. pastinacae. The larvae drop out of the back of the leaf and pupate in the grass and leaf litter.

A Brown (or Common Garden) Centipede (Lithobius forficatus) I found on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn. Despite their names centipedes no more have 100 legs than millipedes have a 1000 legs. This species has 30 legs (15 pairs, a pair on each body segment).

I'll have to pass on this spider. My app gave two suggestions, one a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) which it isn't because the two front pairs of legs are not long-enough; and alternatively Zora spinimana which it isn't because that species has a pointed head. So unidentified.

With or without the app no mistaking a stretch spider Tetragnatha sp., not identifiable to species level from photos.

The working part of a male harvestmen Leiobunum blackwalli. On top of the front of the body are what look like white headlights. With greater definition it would be possible to see these are the white eye-surrounds that separate this species from the similar L. rotundum.

A trio of fungus photos with credit to Obsidentify for help. I have checked as best I know how with the NatureSpot web site. This likely to be Veiled Poisonpie (Hebeloma mesophaeum). I could not do any more 'gardening' without destroying the fruiting bodies.

This fungus seems to be Clustered Brittlestem (Psathyrella multipedata).

And this the fungus Sticky Scalycap (Pholiota gummosa).

To follow on my species still in flower from a fortnight ago here are a set of Autumn fruits. Hawes are the fruit of the Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). These are edible in small quantities.

Fruits of the Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea) are toxic to humans (as are the leaves of the tree)

Hips from Dog Rose (Rosa canina agg.) looking very edible.

Blackberries, fruits of the Bramble complex (Rubus fruticosus agg.). They are in general edible when ripe. However it is more than ten weeks since I first ate ripe fruit and I suggest that any still extant may well be rotting inside. I would not eat them now.

Bittersweet [or Woody Nightshade] (Solanum dulcamara). Don't eat these, though they probably won't kill you. And don't always rely on your app for identification. I wanted to check I had the ID correct and they were not Black Bryony (Dioscorea communis) [aka Black Bindweed]. My app was convinced I was looking at a Blackbird!

Snowberries (Symphoricarpos albus). Also not to be eaten.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:35 – 10:50

(196th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no sign of the presumed Common Teal seen Tuesday and Wednesday. A pair of Gadwall in the open were clearly different birds.
- rather unexpected was a Blackcap calling from near the reeds alongside Derwent Drive. I thought I might have heard one here a few days ago but on that occasion the call was rather weaker than usual and stopped almost as soon as I heard it. So I dismissed it. Today the call was as brief but much stronger and clearly this species. A Chiffchaff was calling nearby. I heard neither later. My previous Blackcap record from here was on 26 September.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Siskins

Warblers noted:
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Noted on / around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese: of these four arrived together
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 43 (28♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *15 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- *47 brownhead Goosander
- *19 Moorhens
- 40 Coots
- *5 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls

On / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Bugs:
- *Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

Molluscs:
- unidentified snail

Fungus:
- *++Blushing Rosette (Abortiporus biennis)
- *Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus)
- Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus)

Not my best photo of a duck Tufted Duck. Happens!

That's better!

Look carefully. 31 brownhead Goosander (and one Coot).

A stately adult Moorhen. Note the wet 'tide-mark' where it has been swimming.

"Let me at the food"

An adult Great Crested Grebe trying to be part of an oil painting.

The elytra of Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis) seem to be waterproof.

Another one that defeated the app. It did suggest 'snail sp.' as the first choice. The second suggestion was Common Gull!

More fungus: this is Blushing Rosette (Abortiporus biennis) that I found tucked at the base of a tree that seems to have been coppiced at some stage. This was on the old stem covered in Ivy with many new stems around it. I forgot to identify the tree.

A different location for this Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus).

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 1 cranefly Tipula confusa
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- the usual array of unidentified spiders

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2012
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
1 Wigeon
2 Raven
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
4 Wigeon
12 Song Thrushes
Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Bittern
Redwing
Siskin
1 Chiffchaff
53 Swans
Wigeon
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl
Stonechat
Common Gull
29 Redwings
27 Fieldfare
6 Siskins
1 Redpoll
3 Chiffchaffs
29 Greenfinches
4 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
9 Pochard
18 Lapwings
17 Meadow Pipits
36 Robins
24 Blackbirds
8 Song Thrushes
9 Redwings
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)